Korea Cup (domestic)
Association football tournament in South Korea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Korea Cup (Korean: 코리아컵), formerly the Korean FA Cup, is a national football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the competition was established in 1996, two similar tournaments named All Joseon Football Tournament (1921–1940) and Korean National Football Championship (1946–2000) were played. It was renamed Korea Cup in 2024,[1] with the winners qualifying for the AFC Champions League Elite (if they finish top four in the K League 1) or the AFC Champions League Two (if they finish outside the top four in the K League 1).[2]
| |
| Founded | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Region | South Korea |
| Qualifier for | AFC Champions League Elite AFC Champions League Two K League Super Cup |
| Current champions | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2025) |
| Most championships | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Pohang Steelers (6 titles each) |
| Website | www |
 2026–27 Korea Cup | |
History
The All Joseon Football Tournament was founded by the Joseon Sports Council in 1921, during Japanese rule in Korea. Youth, student and adult football clubs from various provinces participated. After 1934, it became a part of the Korean National Sports Festival, which was the championship for various sports games and matched Koreans against other sports championships operated by Japanese who lived in Korea. The Joseon Sports Council was disbanded in 1937, due to the Japanese government's oppression, and the Joseon Football Association (currently KFA) succeeded it after 1938, but was cancelled after 1940 for the same reason during World War II.[3][4]
After the liberation of Korea, the KFA founded the National Football Championship and the President's Cup, entered by many semi-professional clubs and amateur clubs from all over South Korea. They opened in spring and late autumn each.
The National Football Championship declined after the founding of the K League, because professional clubs didn't take part in it. There were several attempts to get professional clubs to join the tournament,[5] and it became so successful that in the 1988 and 1989 seasons many top clubs joined the championship, renamed the FA Cup.[6] However, it soon reverted to semi-professional status in 1990 due to disagreements between the KFA and professional clubs. The current cup competition separated from the National Championship in 1996, but since 2001 the two competitions have been merged again. The President's Cup was also abolished in 2010.
Format
1996–2005
The Korean FA Cup took place after the end of the regular K League season, and was usually completed over a short period. Games were played in a single-elimination format, with extra time and penalties if required. K League sides were seeded in the first round of the tournament proper, but all matches were played at neutral venues, such as Gimcheon and Namhae.
2006–present
To elevate the status of the tournament, matches were spread throughout the year. The 2006 edition, for example, started in early March, with rounds also held in April, July, August and November. The final was played in December. As in previous years, the competition was contested in a straight knockout format.
Sponsorship
| Sponsor | Season | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| None | 1996–1997 | FA Cup |
| TG Sambo | 1998 | Sambo Change Up FA Cup |
| 1999 | Sambo Computer FA Cup | |
| Seoul Bank | 2000–2001 | Seoul Bank FA Cup |
| 2002 | Hana-Seoul Bank FA Cup | |
| Hana Bank | 2002 | |
| 2003–2015 | Hana Bank FA Cup | |
| 2015–2019 | KEB Hana Bank FA Cup | |
| 2020–2021 | Hana Bank FA Cup | |
| 2022–2023 | Hana 1Q FA Cup | |
| 2024–present | Hana Bank Korea Cup |
Results
Finals
Titles by club
- Clubs shown in italics no longer exist.
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pohang Steelers[a] | 6 |
3 |
1996, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2023, 2024 | 2001, 2002, 2007 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 |
3 |
2000, 2003, 2005, 2020, 2022, 2025 | 1999, 2013, 2023 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 5 |
3 |
2002, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2019 | 1996, 2006, 2011 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 4 |
1 |
1997, 2006, 2007, 2021 | 2003 |
| Seongnam FC[b] | 3 |
3 |
1999, 2011, 2014 | 1997, 2000, 2009 |
| FC Seoul[c] | 2 |
3 |
1998, 2015 | 2014, 2016, 2022 |
| Ulsan HD[d] | 1 |
4 |
2017 | 1998, 2018, 2020, 2024 |
| Busan IPark[e] | 1 |
2 |
2004 | 2010, 2017 |
| Daegu FC | 1 |
1 |
2018 | 2021 |
| Daejeon Citizen | 1 |
0 |
2001 | — |
| Gyeongnam FC | 0 |
2 |
— | 2008, 2012 |
| Bucheon SK | 0 |
1 |
— | 2004 |
| Hyundai Mipo Dockyard | 0 |
1 |
— | 2005 |
| Incheon United | 0 |
1 |
— | 2015 |
| Daejeon Korail | 0 | 1 | — | 2019 |
| Gwangju FC | 0 | 1 | — | 2025 |
Awards
Most Valuable Player
Top goalscorer
- Only goals since the round of 16 count in the rankings (the round of 32 until 2019, and the third round between 2020 and 2024).[7][8][9]
- If multiple players become top goalscorers, the player who has played the fewest matches receive the award. If still tied, the player with fewer minutes played receive the award.[10] Until 2015, a maximum of two players could become co-winners of the award, and it was not presented when three or more players became top goalscorers.[11]
- Until 2019, the award was not presented when no one scored more than three goals (two goals until 2007).[9]
